Black City Avenger Finds Common Ground In Rock

Contrary to Lenny Kravitz’s 1995 declaration, rock and roll is not dead. And if it is, the guys in Halifax rock band Black City Avenger didn’t get the memo. Formed in Halifax about three years ago, the group owes a large debt to the influence of guitar-based rock bands such as Foo Fighters.

Black City Avenger performs at Plan B Lounge, located at 212 St. George Street, Friday night.

“Nick (MacDougall, drummer) and I have known one another since we were kids,” Black City Avenger vocalist-guitarist Matt Frizzell begins. “One of the reasons that I started playing guitar was because of Nick. He was learning to play drums at the time and I used to watch him play. It was while watching him that I decided to take up the guitar so that we could start a band together. Fast forward 15 years and here we are.”

Frizzell and MacDougall fleshed out the group’s line up of bassist Joe Landry and guitarist Brandon Bouchard via the Halifax music scene. Frizzell says that once Landry and Bouchard joined the group’s ranks, the musical chemistry between the quartet was immediate.

“We are all big fans of rock and roll; groups like AC/DC, Social Distortion and Deep Purple. Of course, we each have our individual tastes as well but Black City Avenger is where we find common ground.”

In the time since the group’s seven-song debut EP to the pair of singles (“The 25th Hour” and “Behind The Gray”) released since, Frizzell says that the maturity in the band’s songwriting has the band leaning towards embracing heavier sounds than what people would have heard on their debut.

“As a group, we are seeing and feeling the growth of the band with each song we write. We are heading into some exciting territory as far as we are concerned.”

Last summer’s “Behind The Gray” is the group’s most recent release. Frizzell says that the wheels are in motion to get back into the studio for a follow-up release sooner rather than later.

“We already have an arsenal of songs that we want to get recorded and released. How we will release the new songs is still up in the air. I have had a hard time in seeing much in the way of advantages in releasing a full-length album at this stage in the game for us,” Frizzell says. “We are living in the age of ‘here and now.’ People want to see short videos on YouTube and music that they can access on demand without having to leave their house.”

Article published in the January 18, 2013 edition of the Times & Transcript